Two years ago, almost to the day, I sent an email from a hotel room in Charlotte, NC. “I got my bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Colorado at Boulder [insert an embarrasingly large number of years] ago. Since then, I’ve been a copywriter and consultant for technology companies. Would the Department of […]
The Myth of Having It All
I won a massive copywriting project a few weeks back, and it’s going to run through February. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I can’t take time for reading and personal writing in the morning — I have to hit my work desk as soon as I can. Missing this […]
Does happiness depend more on actions or location?
I was listening to a podcast the other day where the host remembered a quote from a famous author about where you are impacting how you feel — and unfortunately, he couldn’t remember the author’s name. The point of the podcast host’s offhanded, unattributed pseudo-quote was to support one of his concepts for creative self […]
Choosing What You Fail At
I just finished reading the newest productivity book phenomenon, Four Thousand Weeks — and wow, it was a thinker. The author, Oliver Burkeman, asks us to question the value of trying to get everything done (which is the underlying driver behind nearly all productivity and time management principles) when we have only four thousand weeks […]
Doodle Challenge Fail
About a month ago, I started a challenge to draw a doodle for 100 days in a row. I made it exactly 31 days before I gave it up. Here’s what I learned: 30 days is my limit for a challenge. When I do (visual) art out of obligation instead of creative urge, it isn’t […]
The Clarinet Player and the Sleepless Night
I was working in my leased office on the west side of Colorado Springs on Wednesday around 4:15 when I heard a noise over my noise-canceling headphones. It was a young woman playing the clarinet on the patio outside my office window. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. That surprise immediately turned […]